WARRIORS GOES NATIONAL

BY CHRISTIE ELIEZER

You're never too old to rock and roll.

"Weekend Warriors" is a four-week program where musicians between the ages of 40 to 60 form a band with players they've never played with and rehearse for a concert.

The idea started in Sacramento, California in 1993, by Skip Maggiora of Skip's Music store. His band had opened for Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.When he had to give up his rock star dreams to feed his family, he started the store in 1973. Ten years ago he noticed that musicians who'd gone on to be brain surgeons and truck drivers, were in their '40s returning to buy instruments again.

Now there are 120 "Weekend Warriors" programs in the United States and Canada, with specific advertising materials and marketing modules to promote it in music stores. One mob in Washington D.C. call themselves The Grateful Dads. A bunch of lawyers in Virginia are the Dogmatics. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's band is Capitol Offence. Some of the Australians ones are called UB50, Rolling Bones and Started Late. It gives musicians a new lease of life, bonds them with their kids (often jamming at home with them) and reduces stress in their lives. .

Weekend Warriors arrived in Australia last July through Brisbane instrument stores Ellaways Music and Carrolls Total Music Solutions. The course runs for four weeks and costs $200. For that you are supplied with a rehearsal room, all the equipment and a band coach (like Bruce Smith-Cottrell, aka "Billy Smithers", a rock player who joined the Conservatorium) to guide you. Brisbane has had three programs already, and yielded 16 bands. "All you need are three chords, a great sense of humour, and money in the bank to buy the beer!" quips Greg Dodge, marketing manager at Ellaways. You need to be able to play complete songs. You can play any kind of music style and any instrument. Note: they're finding it hard to find vocalists and drummers. The musicians pair off into five bands, and choose which five songs they will play. They rehearse for two hours a week. At the end of the four weeks, the five bands will play the songs at a show in a club.

"The shows are sold out, as they bring family and workmates to watch them be rock stars for a night, doing their AC/DC routines, with real sound and lighting production. I've never seen an adrenalin buzz like that in all my playing days. They all have fires in their bellies, and don't want to stop. After the first program, one of the players held another concert at his farm, they played from 5 pm to 4.30 am!"

The former Warriors have also set up a club as a central network. If a band's drummer is not available (like, he's a doctor and has surgery, or he's the CEO of a company and has to fly to London on business), the club will find a replacement. The Weekend Warriors concept has gone through the roof, Dodge reports. Rather than just play covers, some bands are writing new songs. Expect them to release their own records in a few years' time.

What's more, the "old guys" can teach new players how to avoid the pitfalls of the music industry and turn them on to different styles of music. The retro Wintersun Festival on the Gold Coast, which gets up to 60,000 over 10 days with vintage cars shows and '50s rock and roll music, has offered Weekend Warriors the chance play there. Ultimately, Dodge also wants to set up a festival featuring the many bands that came up through the program.

Now, "Weekend Warriors" is going national, with retailers around the country meeting in Melbourne to be taught on how to develop the program. The national launch is expected to happen in late April. The national presence is expected to give Weekend Warriors even more of an impact. There are 500 equipment shops in Australia. If only 20 took them on, that will mean 9,000 people doing the four programs in a year.

The ultimate aim of the Weekend Wariors program is for its participants to recapture their love of playing music, and have a ball with some mates in the process The organisers are under no illusions and are not expecting any chart topping successes to arise out of it all, however stranger things have happened!

Contact the Australian Music Association by email info@australianmusic.com.au for details of a program near you.